There are six types of fasting for spiritual breakthrough for growth, breakthrough, healing, and deliverance, financial breakthrough, and more. Do you have something holding you back? Do fasting to break spiritual strongholds in your life.
When do Christians fast? Usually, at the beginning of the year, but many fast weekly, monthly, etc. Let’s look at the types of fasting for spiritual breakthrough.
1. Occasional Short Fasts
Fasting is when you deny yourself either food or type of food or do a total fast with only water. You can fast from TV and other things.
I know there are times I fast to pray before I eat. Sometimes you can fast for several hours, all day and eat at night or fast for 24 hours.
A real fast is when you fast; you take time to pray. Fasting is about praying.
You plan accordingly for your fast so that you can have uninterrupted time. That means turning off phones, TV, or any other type of distraction such as social media. You may have to pull the plug on the TV to eliminate the temptation.
During a short fast, you pray, of course, read scriptures, quote scriptures out loud.
Maybe you are petitioning the Lord for answers, or breakthrough over a circumstance.
These six types of fasting for spiritual breakthrough to get results in the following:
- fasting for financial breakthrough
- fast and praying the scriptures for your child
- prayer and fasting scriptures for a job interview
- while fasting and prayers for salvation of family members
- fasting to break spiritual strongholds
- prayer and fasting for spiritual growth
- fasting and spiritual awakening
- prayer and fasting heals the body
- fasting from negative thoughts
- prayer and fasting for breakthrough and deliverance
- fasting and praying for a future husband
- prayer and fasting for marriage partner
- breaking the yoke of spiritual oppression
It is not always easy to abstain from food. Your blood sugar level may drop, and your instinct will be to rush for a chocolate bar.
2. Intermittent Fasts
Fasting is when you decide to fast one day a week. Again, abstaining from food, TV, entertainment of any type, and away from people.
This fast is a way of integrating the spiritual discipline of fasting into your life on an ongoing basis.
You can do a Daniel fast that consists of nothing but vegetables.
The Daniel Fast is from verses from the Bible found in Daniel 10:2-3. “At that time, I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.” These three weeks refer to the observance of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which take place during the first month of the year (Exodus 12:1-20).
Daniel did not want to eat the king’s delicacies because it would have included food that was forbidden by the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 11); to eat, it would be defiling his body. Another reason would have been because the king’s meats had probably been dedicated to the false Babylonian idols, as was their practice. Daniel believed to do so would
have been to acknowledge their idols as deities, against God’s commandments.
To determine the best type of fast for you, ask the Lord. The Lord is faithful to guide you in the kind of fast you should eat.
Totally abstain from food
Daniel fast
Giving up something you like – Coffee, Chocolate, etc.
3. Longer Fasts
A longer fast may be a 3-day fast, 7-day fast. Some people do a 21-day fast from something, and some will only do water for 21 days. Jesus did a 40-day fast and only drank water when he was in the wilderness.
Fasting is never easy, especially if you work. You may invite you to go out to eat, celebrate an employee’s birthday, etc. Satan will make sure you get tempted to stop your fast.
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered.
If you are going to do longer than three days, usually on the 4th day, it becomes much easier to fast and pray.
4. Open-ended Fasts
Some extended fasts are open-ended. For example, you commit not to break your fast until you reach your goals. You continue until your breakthrough comes.
It is essential to define your goals and petition the Lord. It is a good idea to write them down. If you never fasted, I would not recommend this fast until you have done the shorter types of fast so that you know what to expect.
If you are doing this fast, it is a good idea to plan to pray in your car or someplace at work. Have scriptures with you about your goal. Some scriptures that give home and encourage you so that you don’t lose hope while waiting on the Lord.
Usually, this type of fast is water-only fast.
5. Occasional Group Fasts
Many ministries and churches do group fast with their congregation or ministry at the first of the year for God’s direction.
Jensen Franklin is known for his fasting because of the books he has written on fasting. In fact, he has videos to watch each day if you decide to go on a 21-day fast listening to Jensen Franklin’s Videos.
Group fasts can be a helpful way of introducing the discipline of fasting, but perhaps they could be better constructed so that one can measure the benefits. For instance, the group might agree on a sum of money needed and declare that openly as the goal. Or they might seek a person’s healing, being specific about what they are asking of the Lord.
There may be a building fund that is not in place, and the congregation needs to be in agreement in prayer for God’s direction.
During a Grup Fast, there are times you pray and fast alone, and then times you come together as a church or ministry to pray over specific needs.
A time to pray over prayer needs in the church:
It is always good to have a forum or an app where people can send in their prayer requests. So that everyone can agree.
The church or ministry could be going through some difficult times and needs the people in the church or ministry to pray in agreement for that breakthrough.
This fast could be a week or 21 days.
6. Longer Group Fasts
This fast could be an open-ended fast only water. Fasting until the breakthrough or answer comes. There is no specific period. It is praying and fasting until the matter changes and until the pastor or leader says to stop the fast.
This takes a commitment from the people. Not everyone will be able to do this. Some people have medical issues or taking specific drugs that keep them from doing a water-only fast.
Types of Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough Benefits to fasting
Fasting will “increase” your spirituality. God wants to bring an increase in all areas of your physical and spiritual life. Increase in intimacy with Him. See video on benefits to fasting.
When looking at types of fast for spiritual breakthough, it is a time of reflection and dealing with sin issues through repentance.
Developing a better hearing ear for God
God increases, doors begin to open for the physical increase as well. Increase in health and healing, strategies to improve finances, pathways to increase your joy, and so much more. God desires to grow you in both the physical and the spiritual realms of your life.
It also increases clarity and sensitivity to the spirit world.
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To lose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Lose the bands of the yoke,’ a figure taken from the yoke which was borne by oxen, and which seems to have been attached to the neck by cords or bands
The yoke, in the Scripture, is usually regarded as an emblem of oppression, or compulsory toil, and is undoubtedly so used here. The same word used to denote ‘burden’ (מוטה môṭâh), which in the subsequent member is rendered ‘yoke,’ and the word which is rendered ‘undo (התר hatı̂r from נתי nātar), is elsewhere employed to denote emancipation from servitude.
